Sewing machine needle threader



Sept. 9, 1952 F, VQG L 2,609,771

SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE THREADER Filed May 10, 1950 5 7 g 5 6 I5 j 7 12 ll7 V27 31 2 ,3 7

2 U 5 if v INVENTOR.

K 2 w g A TTORNEY Patented Sept. 9, 1952 OFFICE SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE'THREADER Frank Vogcl, Philadelphia, Pa. Application May 10, 1950,Serial No. 161,182

. l 1 g My invention relates to a new and useful sewing machine needle.threader and has for one of its objects to produce an exceedingly simpleand inexpensive article. of this character for quickly and easilypassing a thread through the eye of a needle without hesitation on thepart of the operator. I a

Another objector this inventionis to produce a Strong and eflicient hookmember to reduce to a minimum the likelihood of breaking the delicatepoint of the hook, which is a defect common to most needle threaders.

Another objectof the invention is to produce a needle threader of novelconstruction including two primary elements. so fashioned that one 6Claims, (01. 112-425) element provides both needle and'thread guides andhouses the other element. l l

A further object. of the present invention is to produce; a body memberfrom sheet material folded to provide a pair of parallel spaced walls,between which the hook member is mounted, said body member beingfashioned to form a pair of resilient fingers and a pair of shortersubjacent toes with curvilinear openings between the opposed edges ofsaid fingers and toes, said openings gradually decreasing andterminating in horizontal restricted slots to function as a threadguide. 4

A still further object of this invention is to produce a hook memberincluding a hook element consisting of a shank and a fin thinner thansaid shank to provide clearances on both sides of said fin.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of thedetails of construction and combination of elements. hereinafter setforth and then designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains may understand how to make and use the same I will describeits construction in detail referring by numerals to the accompanyingdrawing forming a part hereof, in which;

Fig. 1 is a side view of the needle threader constructed in, accordancewith my invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom edge view-thereof and in con nection with a needleand thread.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 3-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary face View of the hook member removed from thebody member.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on the line 5-4: of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the device illustrating its relation to aneedle to be threaded and the i 2 thread prior to beingpulled. throughthe needle eye. i

In carrying out my invention as herein embodied Hi represents the bodymember preferably produced from sheet material bent double ininvertedU-shape providing a pair of spaced parallel side walls H and I2 joinedalong their upper edges to a curved back I3. Said back l 3 is cut awayat the forward end of the body member to a location l4 intermediate theends of said body member thereby separating the forward ends of theside. walls which have some inherent resiliency.

The free forward ends of the side walls are bent outwardly at adesirable location intermediate the length of said free ends and thenback into planes parallel with but outside of the planes of the main orrearportions of the side walls to form companion shoulders [5, Fig. 2,which function as a needle stop. The parts of the free forward ends ofthe side walls, beyond the shoulders l5, therefore, are offset relativeto or spaced a greater distance than the main or rear portions of theside walls and provide a needle receiving and guiding channel I'Bbetween them.

From one edge, preferably the lower edge, of each free forward end ofits respective side wall runs a wide mounted curvilinear threadreceiving opening I'I which gradually decreases and finally terminatesin a longitudinal restricted slot G3 which is approximately in thelongitudinal center of the body member and parallel with the upper andlower edges thereof. The extreme inner end of the slot I8 is slightlyenlarged as a thread clearance hole l9. The curvilinear opening ll, slotl8 and thread clearance hole H3 in each free forward end of a side walldivide such free end into a finger 29 and a subjacent toe 2i, the latterbeing behind a pendant portion of the former, andthe forward end of eachfinger is curved or beveled outwardly at 22, as is also each toe at. 23.

A hook member 24 is. secured between the side walls i l of the bodymember l0. Said hook memher is produced from a thinflat sheet of toughmaterial fashioned to include a relatively large body portion 25 and ahook element 26 projecting from one end of said body portion 25 andconsisting of a shank 2! and a barb 28. The barb is preferably thinnerthan the shank, Fig. 5, and projects from the upper edge of the outerend of the shank 21 to provide a rabbet 29 on each side of the barb toform spaces for a thread looped about the barb.

As plainly shown in Fig. 4, the outer end of the hook element ispreferably beveled on curved lines both from the top and bottom,especially along the top edge and the beak of the barb 28 is preferablyundercut, as at 39. In assembling the hook member 24 in the body memberID, said hook member is so positioned that the hook element projectsinto the rear part of the channel [6 between the free forward ends ofthe side walls I I of the body member and spaced from said free forwardends. Also the hook element 26 is located so that the forward portion ofthe arcuate beveled upper edge thereof extends below the bottom walls ofthe slots l 8 and the beak extends slightly above the top walls of saidslots.

It might be well to state that the illustrations in the drawing areenlarged many times and the hook element 26 actually is small enough toreadily pass through the eye of a needle. In other words, the shank2l isapproximately as thick as the width of the average needle eye and theheight of said hook element, including the shank and barb, isapproximately equal to the length of the average needle eye, so thatsaid hook element can readily and smoothly pass through the eye of theneedle, especially a sewing machine needle.

It should be noted that, by preference, the forward edge of the bodyportion 25 of the hook member 24 is positioned flush with the shouldersl but if during assembly of the parts the forward edge of said bodyportion 25 should protrude slightly beyond said shoulders, the operationof the device will not be adversel effected because said forward edgeofthe body portion 25 can function as a stop.

While the hook member 24 can be fastened between the side walls of thebody member Iii in many suitable ways, I have disclosed unique means forthis purpose. A number of hollow rivets or rivet means 30 are struck upfrom one of the side walls, as l2, and project through holes 3|, Figs. 3and 4, in the body portion 25 of the hook member 24 and holes 32 in theopposite side wall ll of the body member In and the terminals of saidrivets'headed as at 33.

For convenience in hanging the device on a suitable supportgsuoh as anail or hook, or tying a string thereto, the side walls of the bodymember are provided with aligned holes 34 at the rear end.

In practice, the device is held by an operator with the mouth of theopening I! downward and the forward end of the threader is thenprojected onto a sewing machine needle 25, laterally thereof, if in asewing machine, has been raised to expose the needle eye, so that theindividual ones of the pairs of fingers and toes 2| pass along theopposite sides of said needle and, in effect, the needle registers withand enters'the channel I6. It is to be understood that the device isretained in a substantially horizontal or straight line with the hookelement 26 directed towards an open end of the needle eye. If the hookelement 26 is accurately aligned with the needle eye, said hook elementwill pass through said eyeotherwise the outer end or point of the hookelement will contact an imperforate portion of the needle. Under thelatter condition, the device is moved longitudinally of the needle untilthe hook element registers with the eye. The device, as a whole, is thenpropelled forwardly until the barb of the hook passes completely throughthe needle eye so that the beak is exposed on the opposite side of theneedle and the shoulders I 5 and/or the f rward ge of 4 the body portionof the hook member 24 engages the needle.

With the threader in this position, Figs. 2 and 6, the thread 36 isentered transversely into the openings I! and moved into the slots [8until said thread slides over the arcuate bevel of the hook barb andassumes a position to the rear of the beak which will releasably holdsaid thread. As the device is withdrawn from the needle the thread willbe pulled through the eye of said needle in looped fashion with strandsof the thread occupying the rabbets on opposite sides of the hook barband since the bight in the thread may expand slightly after passingthrough the needle eye the thread material can bulge into the clearanceholes [9 to prevent binding. Upon complete withdrawal of the device fromthe needle the thread end will be freed and the thread can then be drawntaut in the usual man nor to complete the threading operations;

In manufacturing the article, the body member I0 is completely stampedout and formed to the point .where the side walls diverge from the backwall i3 similar to a V with the free ends of the hollow rivets 3G spacedfrom the side wall H sufiiciently to allow the hook member 24 to beinserted and placed over said hollow rivets. The side walls are pressedtogether and the hollow rivets headed.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details ofconstruction as herein shown and described as these may be varied withinthe scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

Having described the invention what I claim as new and useful is:

1. A needle threader comprising a double side walled body member joinedto a back along the rear portions of their upper edges, the forwardportions of the side walls being free and spaced to provide a needlechannel, said free portions having wide mouthed curvilinear openingsrunning from the bottom edges thereof inwardly to approximately thelongitudinal centers of said side walls and gradually decreasing intorestricted longitudinal slots in the same plane, a needle stop at theinner end of said slot, and a hook member including a flat body portionsecured between the side walls and a hook element projecting from theforward end of said body portion and extending into the channel in theregion of the slots.

2. The needle threader according to claim 1 wherein the slots terminatein holes slightly larger than the width of said slots, the rear portionsof the circumferences of said holes located contiguous the needle stop.

3. The needle threader according to claim 1 wherein the hook memberincludes a shank passable through a needle eye, and a barb of lessthickness than the shank.

4. The structure according to claim 3 wherein the barb projects from theupper edge of the shank along the longitudinal center thereof and theupper edge of'said barb in an arcuate bevel.

5. In a needle threader for sewing machine needles an inverted U-shapedbody member including a pair of side walls joined to a, back along therear portions of the upper edges of said side walls, the forward endsbeing free, the outer end portions of said free ends of the side wallsoutwardly ofifset relative to the rear portions of said side walls toprovide a needle channel, a needle stop at the junction of the offsetand rear portion of the side Walls, said free portions of the 5sidewalls having curvilinear openings running from the bottom edgesthereof inwardly to approximately the longitudinal centers of said sidewalls and gradually decreasing into restricted longitudinal slots in thesame plane and terminating in enlarged thread clearance holes, a pair ofparallel fingers and subjacent toes produced by the formation of saidopenings, slots and holes, the free ends of said fingers andtoes beingoutwardly flared, a hook member including a flat body portion locatedbetween the side walls of the body member and a hook element projectingfrom the forward end of said body portion and extending into the channelinthe region of the slots, and means to fasten the hook member in place.

6. A sewing machine needle threader comprised of an inverted U-shapedbody member including a pair of side walls joined to a back along therear portion of the upper edges of said side walls, the forward endsbeing free, the outer end portions of said free ends of the side wallsbeing offset outwardly relative to the rear portions of said side wallsto provide a needle channel, said free portions of the side wall havingidentical corresponding curvilinear openings running from the bottomedges thereof inwardly to approximately the longitudinal centers of saidside walls and gradually decreasing into corresponding restrictedlongitudinal slots, and. a hook member secured between the rear portionsof the side walls and including a hook element extending into the needlechannel in the region of the slots.

FRANK VO GEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 985,624.- Gakleaf Feb. 28, 19111,145,258 Moore July 6, 1915 2,286,257 Eads Dec. 3, 1918

